Individual signaling apparatus for telephone-lines



(No Model.)

H. DQSISSON.

INDIVIDUAL SIGNALING APPARATUS PoR TELEPHONE LINES.v

Patented Mar. 7,1882,

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UNITED l STATES PATENT rrrcn.

HENRY D. SISSON, OF MILL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

INDIVIDUAL SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR TELEPHON-LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming partA of. Letters Patent No. 254,573, dated March'7, 1882.

Application filed March 28, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I,HENRY D. S1sSON,a citizenof the United States, residing at Mill River, in the county of Berkshireand State of Massachu'setts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Individual Signaling Apparatus for Telephone-Lines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of and apparat-us forsignaling upon telephone or telegraph lines in cases where it isnecessary to place a number of stations upon the same line or circuit.

The object of my invention is to enable the operator at the central orprincipal station of such a line to sound a call or alarm at anyparticular station required without putting in operation any of theother alarms upon the line, and I effect this result by simply breakingand closing the circuit of the line upon which the several stations aresituated by means of a key or circuit-breaker at the central station.

'lo this end my invention consists in certain novel combinations ofmechanism at each substationfwhereby, through the agency of successiveelectrical impulses transmitted over the line, the operator at theprincipal station is enabled to sound the alarm at any particularsubstation upon the line, as desired, without producing any e'ect uponthe alarms of the remaining stations. Y

The particular subject-matter claimed as new will be specificallydesignated in theseveral claims at the end of this speccation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of anapparatus embodying my invention, which is designed to be Vplaced ateach station along the line. Fig. 2 represents the same apparatus withthe parts in a dierent position. Thecircuit-connections are shown indiagram in connection with Fig. l.

Referring to the igures, A represents the frame upon which the severalparts of the mechanism are mounted.

B is an ordinary electro-magnet of soft'iron, surrounded by coils ofinsulated wire, and C is its armature, secured in the usual manner toahorizontal lever, D, which is pivoted at D' to a supporting-bracket, E.The lever D is provided with the usual retractile spring, F.

The free endot the armature-lever D is shaped into a fork, carrying atits extremities two pallets, G and G', which alternately engage withlthe teeth at opposite points of the periphery of'a star-wheel, H, whichis mounted upon any arbor, I. This organization is well known, beingfrequently used in type-printing telegraphs, and is termed apropelling-escapement. Upon the same axis I is xeda disk, J, whichrotates with it. The disk J carries a series of pins, a b ed e fg h, thenumber of which pins correspond to the number of stations which aredesigned to be operated in the same circuit. I have shown eight suchpins in the drawings. By referring to the figures it will be seen thatall the pins in the series, with the exception of the pin a, are placedat an equal distance from the axis, and they consequently follow eachother in the same path when the disk is rotated. The object of thepeculiar arrangement of the pin a will be hereinafter explained.

K is a light horizontal metallic lever, which moves freely upon a pivot,k'. Its free extremity 7c is of a tapering form, as shown in thefigures, and when swung upon its axis in a vertical plaue the path ofthe tapering extremity k intersects the path of the series of pins uponthe disk J. The lever K is also provided with a projecting arm, K', towhich is attached a thin metallic spring, L, which constitutes acircuitcloser, as hereinafter explained. The

armk K and its attachments are somewhat lighter than the lever K, whichlatter therefore has a tendency to overbalance the former and to dropdown. y f

M is an insulated metallic stud, which is inserted in the frame A of theapparatus in such a position that the spring L presses agaiustit withslight friction as it passes overl it, thus forming an electricalconnection with it. The extremity of the arm K is bent into a curvedform, as shown at K2, and ismade to dip into a hollow receptacle, I?,containing a quantity of metallic mercury, p.

The apparatus which has been described is provided for each sub-stationupon the line, the only difference between them being in the po.- sitionof the pins upon the diskJ, the arrangement of whichwill be hereinafterexplained.

The circuit-connections are asfollows rllhe ap- IOO ues from theindicator S by the wire l tothev electro-magnet B ot the apparatus shownin the figures, which is supposed to be situated Vat the first stationin the series, and which, for

convenience, may be designated as station A. From thence the circuitcontinues by the wire 2 to the electro magnet of an alarm-bell, T, ofthe usual or any metallic construction, and from thence by the wire 3 tostation B, the next in the series, and so on to the end of the line,where it terminates iu the earth in the usual manner. A branch wire, 4,is connected with the metallic mercury p in the receptacle P, and isjoined to the wire 2 at a point between the electro-magnet B and thealarm-bell T. A wire, 5, also connects the insulated metallic stud Mwith the wire 3. It will therefore be obvious that whenever a connectionis formed between the wire et and the wire 5 the alarm-bell T will beshunted, and will consequently be inoperative by means of any currenttraversing the main line.

It has already been stated that the pin a in the apparatus shown in thegures is not in the same circumferential line with the remainder of thepins in the periphery of the disk, being placed somewhat nearer the axisor within the line ot' the others. At station B the pin b is thus setwithin the line, at station C the pin c, and so on; and it is by meansof this arrangement of the respective pins that I am enabled to bringinto operation the alarm at any particular station at pleasure.

In the apparatus shown in the drawings the star-wheel H has thirty-twoteeth, and the escapement is so constructed that the star-wheel willadvance a distance of halt' a tooth during the downward motion of thearmature-lever and half atooth during the return motion. Consequentlythe wheel advances a distance equal to one tooth each time the maincircuit is closed and broken, and four successive electrical pulsationsare necessary in order to advance the disk J a distance equalto thedistance between two of the pins upon its periphery.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: When in its normalposition, as shown in Fig. 1, the tapering extremity lc ot' the lever Kat station A rests upon the pin h on the disk J. Consequently' this endof the lever is elevated, while the arm K at the opposite end isdepressed, so that its extremity K2 dips into the mercury p. At the sametime the spring L presses lightly against the stud M, whereby connectionis formed through the spring and the extremity of the arm KZ from thewire et to the wire 5, thus shuntin g the alarm-bell T. It', now, it isdesired to'sound the alarm-bell at station A from the central station, asingle electric pulsation is transmitted over the line by closing thekey once, which advances the starwheel I a distance ot' one tooth andcauses the piu hto be advanced to the position indicated by the dottedcircle h in Fig. l. This movement releases the free end 7c of the leverK, which falls by its own gravity into the position shown by the dottedlines iu Fig. 1, thus lifting the `arm K2 from the mercury@ andinterrupting lthe connection between the wires 4 and 5, and permittingthe main circuit to pass through the alarm-bell T. After pausing longenough to permit the lever K to fall into the position described, theoperator at the central station transmits a sufficient number ofadditional pulsations to carry the apparatus through a completerevolution and bring it toits normal position. In case now underconsideration thirty-one pulsations will be required to eiect this. Asthe disk J rotates in the direction of the arrow the pin a, being setwithin the line of the other pins, passes by the end of the lever Kwithout touching it; but the succeeding pin b will come in contact withthe end of the lever at the iit'th pulsation and carry it up, restoringit to its normal position and cutting out the alarm-bell from thecircuit. This operation will `be best understood by referring to Fig. 2,in which the several positions of the lever when acted upon by thesuccessive pins are shown in dotted lines. After each successive pin ofthe series passes beyond the end of the lever into the position shown bythe dotted circle h', Fig; l, the lever will drop down, as usual, butwill be intercepted by the next piu ot' the series, and consequentlycannot fall far IOO IOS

enough to lift the arm at its opposite extremity from the mercury unlessapause is made in the transmission of the pulsations immediately afterthe passage of the pin h.

In case the apparatus is in its normal position, as shown in Fig. l, andit is desired to signal some other station upon the line-as, forexample, station B-without sounding au alarm at station A, the sendingoperator transmits a series of iive pulsations in rapid succession. Thefirst of these pulsations releases the end of the lever K, while thesecond pulsation brings the pin a into the position in which it isrepresented in Fig. 2 before the end of the lever K reaches that pointin its descent. Consequently the latter will be lifted by the pin a, andwill not be permitted to descend far enough to lift the arm K2 at itsopposite extremity from the mercury p. Hence the shuntcircuit around thealarm-hell will remain unbroken.

By means of the indicator S, the hand or pointer of which moves inunison with the apparatus at all the stations, the operatoris enabled atall times to know the exact position ofthe said apparatus. Thus it willbe understood that by making a pause after the transmission of theproper number ot'pulsations'the IIO - electro-magnet B to a connectionwith the aXis k of the lever K and by connecting the main line extendingto the next station of the series with the metallic mercury p in thereceptacle P, the alarm-bell T being included in a branch extending fromthis last-mentioned line to the insulated stud M'. This alternativearrangement of circuits is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thealarm-bell is in a normally-open branch or loop ot' the main line; butthe mechanical operation of the apparatus remains unchanged.

Instead of the rubbing contact of the spring L against the stud M, amovable and stationary contact-point may be employed similar to that ofa Morse relay.

By placing an index or dial hand on the axis I on the escapement at eachstation, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, any station on the line maybe enabled-to signal directly to any other station by the aid of asuitable key or circuit-breaker, thereby rendering it unnecessary tosignal the central station, except when a communication with some othercircuit was required to be established.

I do not claim the combination of a signaling device actuated byabattery,both of which are contained in a local circuit, and mechanismfor controlling that circuit actuated by an independent mechanical forceapplied at each station. l

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially ashereinbefore set forth, of the alarm-bell placed in the loop ot' themain line, the electro-magnet, its armature, the step-by-step escapementactuated thereby, the disk rotated by said escapement, the series ofpins thereon, (all concentric save one, this one being placed nearer thecenter of said disk,) the pivoted circuit-breaking lever controlled bysaid pins, and the circuit-closer carried by said lever for shuntingsaid loop, and thus preventing the action of the alarm-bell.

2. The individual signaling apparatus for telephone-lines hereinbeforedescribed, consisting of the combination at each station of an electriccircuit of the alarm-bell placed in the loop ot' the main line, anelectro-magnet included in the main circuit, its armature, thestep-by-step eseapement actuated thereby, the disk rotated by saidescapement, th series of pins on each disk, (one for each station andall concentric, save the one at each station corresponding to thatstation, this one being situated nearer the center of said disk thantheremainin g ones,) the pivoted circuit-breaking lever controlled bysaid` pins, and the circuitcloser carried by said lever for shuntingsaid loop, and thus preventing the action of the alarm-bell.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 17th day ofFebruary, A. D. 1881.

HENRY D. SISSON. Witnesses:v

AUVEN SMITH,- DYER STUNAND.

